Former Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan said her appointment as chair of the Malaysian Media Council (MMC) is intended to strengthen independence, fairness and public confidence in the new body.
Speaking at a dialogue session in conjunction with National Journalists’ Day 2026, she said the MMC’s founding law requires its chairperson to be appointed from outside politics, the civil service and the legislature to ensure institutional independence.
Nallini said her judicial background, including 18 years on the Bench and over two decades at the Bar, had prepared her with the principles of due process, evidence-based reasoning and neutrality required for the role.
“This is not an oversight, but a carefully crafted requirement,” she said. “I cannot teach journalists their craft. What I can do is ensure fair process, protect independence, and ensure decisions are made without fear or favour.”
She added that her distance from the media industry should be viewed as a strength that helps build trust among media practitioners, regulators and the public.
The MMC, she said, is a self-regulatory body established by law but driven by industry participation, focusing on standards, complaints handling and newsroom consistency amid challenges from digital media and AI-generated content.
Nallini also warned of growing threats from fake news, impersonated media branding and AI-generated content that could undermine public trust in journalism.
She proposed a verification initiative during the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections on July 11 and Aug 1 to help verify disputed media content.
Under the framework, the MMC would coordinate authentication efforts while leaving verification responsibility with the original media organisations.
She stressed the mechanism would not assess the truth of political claims, but only confirm whether content originated from legitimate news outlets.
Nallini also announced a public awareness campaign titled “Siapa Kata? Sos Mana?” (“Who said? What’s the source?”), urging the public to verify information before sharing election-related content.
